Prompts are used to get input from the user when generating a checklist. A prompt can be one of the following types:
| question | A yes/no question (a.k.a. boolean, true/false) |
| select | A multiple-choice selection from 2 to 9 options |
| number | A number value within a given minimum/maximum range |
| text | A simple text string |
All prompts use the same general form:
? (type) variableName
[
Text displayed to user when asking for input
]A line starting with ? tells the parser that this is the start of a prompt case. The type of the prompt follows this header symbol, which can be question, select, number, or text. Each type is described in its own section below. When the parser encounters a prompt, a message is displayed to the user with the text contained within the [ brackets ]. A user prompt message within the brackets is required, with at least one alphanumeric character inside them.
After the prompt is finished, the variable (shown above with name of variableName) will be assigned the answer value provided by the user. This variable can be used in a conditional statement later in this list, or in another linked-to list.
This type is used for a yes/no condition based on a displayed question. When this type of list item is encountered by the parser, it will display the text in the form of a question. It will add a question mark at end of line if not already present in the prompt text.
? (question) variableName
[
Is so-and-so included in the procedure?
]This type is used for selecting a single option from a menu ranging from 2 to 9 selections. The parser will display the text in the form of a selection prompt. The variable is assigned the user’s selection (which is an integer from 1 to 9), and can be used in a select conditional later.
?(select) rainProtection
[
Select which type of rain protection:
] [
Umbrella
Poncho
Rain jacket
Full rain gear with boots
None
]The prompt display for above example looks like:
Select which type of rain protection:
Umbrella
Poncho
Rain jacket
Full rain gear with boots
NoneThe web interface contains a button for each option, whereas they are numbered in the command-line version (user presses a number key in that case).
Notes on syntax: The first line prompted to the user is provided in the initial set of square brackets, as with other prompts. The syntax of this prompt differs in that a second set of square brackets follows the prompt line. Each line in this second set is the prompt text that matches that particular option to select from (up to 9 total possible). These are not explicitly numbered, but their order matters for the later use of conditional list text.
This type of prompt is used to get a numerical value from the user.
? (number min:max) variableName
[
Enter an integer value in the range specified
]The user may enter a signed integer in the range specified in the statement. The range is defined by a pair of limit values after the number keyword. For example, ?(number -15:50) requires a number greater than -16 and less than 51. The user will continually be re-prompted if an out-of-range value is entered. For reference, the highest possible range is between +/- 2 billion).
This is a simple prompt for asking the user to enter a simple one-line string like a name or title.
?(text) variableName
[
Enter a description for this trip
]
The consistent rule with all of the above types is that the user won't be prompted if the variable has already been defined (the previous value is used). However, it is possible to force the parser to present the user with a prompt. Placing the reset keyword before the type keyword inside the parentheses will force a prompt:
? (reset question) var